Colorado Victims for Justice, 2013 to 2022

Our mission is to make the Colorado criminal justice system fair for everyone. We do that by changing laws, changing regulations, and changing bureaucratic practices. The following list summarizes the legislative bills that we have been involved with from 2013 to 2022. 

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Many people are involved in the process of passing legislation. Credit for passing bills is due to those who conceived the bills, the organizations that pushed them, the legislative sponsors and co-sponsors, the experts and victims who testified, and the committee chairs who steered each bill. In some cases, a bill is also driven forward by letters, emails, texts, and phone calls from citizens—as well as people filling the seats in hearing rooms. We don’t have the space to list everyone who was involved in the bills below.

 

Other victim rights organizations have had remarkable achievements in the same time period. We applaud them for that, but we don’t have the space to list those achievements either. 

 

The Colorado General Assembly considers over 550 bills every year; most of them are not in this list. The document below just shows the sort of involvement that is typical for our group. We were instrumental in passing some bills and played a supporting role with others, as indicated.

2013

• HB13-1241 — established a statewide automated victim notification system called VINE.

  • Proposed by COVA.

  • Colorado Victims for Justice supported through emails and committee testimony.

  • The bill passed with a broad bipartisan majority.

2014

• HB14-1260 — Jessica’s Law. Established stiff mandatory sentences for adults who sexually abuse children.

  • Prime sponsor, Representative Mike Foote, enlisted our aid after having unsuccessfully tried to pass the bill in the two preceding sessions.

  • Colorado Victims for Justice supported through emails and committee testimony by a child victim and relatives of child victims.

  • Passed unanimously in both chambers.

2015

• HB15-1042 — Presentence Reports By Probation Officers (Truth in Sentencing)

  • Colorado Victims for Justice supported through emails and committee testimony by victims who had been lied to at sentencing hearings.

  • The bill passed.

• HB15-1122 — Parole Application and Revocation (The Fair Parole Act)

  • No parole hearing for prisoners with serious violations in prison.

  • If two parole schedules apply, the lengthier takes precedence. 

  • Colorado Victims for Justice supported with a full-court press. Five of our members testified including a family members of a murder victim who  testified how the offender got an earlier parole hearing by raping someone in prison.

  • Passed despite opposition.

• HB15-1263 — to seal records for domestic violence misdemeanors.

  • Colorado Victims for Justice opposed through face-to-face contact, phone calls, emails and committee testimony.

  • The bill died in committee.

• HB15-1292 — Mandatory resentencing of juvenile murderers sentenced to life without parole.

  • Along with allied victim rights organizations, we pulled out all the stops to mobilize public opposition.

  • The sponsor withdrew the bill.

2016

• SB16-034 — made it a felony to dispose of or tamper with a deceased human body.

  • Conceived of by our members Laura Saxton and Bev Sanburg.

  • They recruited Senator Jerry Sonnenberg, who had never run a criminal justice bill before. He recruited representatives Rhonda Fields and Polly Lawrence as co-sponsors.

  • We supported the bill wholeheartedly

  • The need for it was so obvious, it sailed through the legislature.

• SB16-075 — collecting DNA from offenders convicted of misdemeanors against vulnerable persons

  • Senator Mike Johnston had been running this bill off and on for 10 years without ever getting it out of committee.

  • Senator Johnston approached us and we provided key testimony. 

  • The bill squeaked through the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan vote.

  • The Senate Finance Committee killed the bill with a bipartisan vote.

• SB 16-180 and SB16-181 — provided a path to parole for juvenile murderers who were sentenced to life without parole.

  • Along with allied organizations, we opposed these bills, and pulled out all the stops, trying to defeat them.

  •  Proponents used chicanery to fool some lawmakers. Because of the confusion, the bills passed by one vote.

  • A bitter defeat for us.

• HB 16-1080 — made strangulation a felony

  • Initiated by Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence (now Violence-free Colorado).

  • Leanna Stoufer from Colorado Victims for Justice was active in the public relations campaign.

  • Sailed through every committee, propelled by Leanna’s testimony and an aggressive e-mail campaign.

  • Passed unanimously.

• HB16-1260 — extended the criminal statute of limitations for sexual assault from six years to 20 years

  • Proposed by survivors of sexual assaults at the hands of celebrity Bill Cosby.

  • Survivors approached Representative Rhonda Fields, who approached us.

  • A massive coalition of organizations supported the bill. The defense bar opposed it.

  • The bill passed easily. 

2017

• SB 17-087 — to allow judges the option of determinate sentences for sex offenders, which would allow release without treatment for sexual addiction. 

  • The text said a majority of sex offenders do not reoffend.

  • We opposed this bill.

  • Our witnesses and our scientific evidence showed that sex offenders do reoffend.

  • The bill was killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• SB 17-095 — Repeal of the Death Penalty.

  • Discussion of this bill put the survival of our group at risk.

  • We decided to take no position on the bill.

  • The bill was killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• SB 17-051 — update to the Victims Rights Act

  • The bill had broad support in both chambers.

  • We had input in the writing of the bill and supported it.

  • The bill passed easily.

• SB 17-010 — would have almost eliminated the use of the Habitual Criminal Statute, which increases sentences for offenders with three or more felonies.

  • We opposed this bill.

  • The bill was killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• HB17-1035 — Housing protection for survivors, allows survivors of sexual assault and stalking to break a lease and move away from the attacker.

  • Proposed by our member Leanna Stoufer in her role with Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA).

  • We supported with testimony and emails.

  • The bill passed and became law.

2018

• SB18-014 — Requires the Department of Corrections to tell victims the locations of out-of-state prisoners.

  • We supported the bill with testimony and emails.

  • The bill passed.

• SB 18-017 — Determinate Sentences for Sex Offenses, a minor revision of the previous year’s bill to eliminate indeterminate sentences.

  • The bill would have released sex offenders without treatment.

  • We opposed the bill with witnesses and scientific evidence.

  • The bill was killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• SB18-223 — restricted the release of autopsy reports about children.

  • We supported the bill with testimony and emails. 

  • The bill passed.

• HB18-1029 — Reduced mandatory parole period from five years to three years in certain cases.

  • The reduction originally applied to Class 3 felonies and Class 2 felonies, including homicide. We opposed the bill in this form.

  • Our member, Sharon Anable, D.C., led a vigorous e-mail campaign that resulted in an amendment to exclude crimes of violence.

  • The bill passed as amended.

• HB18-1287 — Re-authorized the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ). 

  • We requested and got an amendment to provide more victim positions on that key commission.

  • The bill passed.

• HB18-1427 — would remove key members of the Sex Offender Management Board.

  • We opposed the bill with emails and urged the governor to veto it.

  • The bill passed and the governor vetoed it.

2019

• SB 19-026 — prohibits filing more than one post-conviction appeal claiming incompetent attorney(s)

• We went on record supporting this bill but did not have the resources to do much about it.

• The Senate Judiciary Committee killed the bill.

• SB 19-143 — requires the release of prisoners when the vacancy rate in DOC drops below three percent.

  • We opposed by emails.

  • The bill passed.

• SB 19-049 — to extend the statute of limitations for failing to report child sexual assault 

  • passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously. 

  • Our members Ray Harlan, Sterling Harris, Jeb Barrett and Paul Quinn testified. The heartfelt stories from the last three changed the minds of wavering senators. 

  • Even so, the proponents had to agree to change the proposed extension from five to three years.

• HB 19-1064 — The victim will be notified of changes in an offender’s status unless the victim opts out of notification.

  • Sponsored by COVA.

  • Run by our member Representative Tom Sullivan.

  • Sought by our members for years.

  • Massive support from our members.

  • Resistance in the House Judiciary Committee because of the high cost.

  • We proposed an amendment to dramatically lower the cost.

  • The amendment was adopted, and the bill passed all other votes overwhelmingly.

2020

• SB 20-060 — would fund a study to examine how offenders progress through the criminal justice system and what information is available to the decision-makers who decide their fate.

  • We requested amendments to ensure victim input to the decision makers.

  • The sponsor would not agree to the amendments.

  • We opposed the bill, and it lost.

• SB 20-076 — would allow 25-year-old offenders to be treated as juveniles and be eligible for early parole.

  • We opposed by all possible means.

  • The Senate Appropriations Committee killed the bill.

  • The Colorado District Attorneys Council sent a letter thanking our principal witness.

• SB 20-085 — imposed the same behavior standards on sex offenders in community corrections as sex offenders on parole. 

  • We supported this bill and it passed.

• SB 20-088 — allows hearsay testimony if a defendant prevents a witness from testifying. 

  • John Kellner, the chief deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, asked for our support before the bill was introduced.

  • We supported this bill and it passed easily.

• SB20-100 — repealed the death penalty.

  • Our membership was divided, so we took no position.

  • Individual members could act on their own. One member testified at every hearing.

  • The bill passed.

• SB 20-161 — would eliminate cash bail in most cases and replace it with a pretrial assessment. 

  • We wrote the bill's sponsors to ensure that restraining orders would be in place before anyone was released.

  • We supported this bill.

  • The legislative session was severely disrupted by the Covid epidemic.

  • This bill and a number of others were postponed indefinitely.

• SB20-191 — would reduce felony murder from a class one felony to a class two felony and make it harder to prove.

  • We went all out to defeat this bill.

  • The bill lost.

• HB 20-1079 — allows juvenile sex offenders to petition to not be listed on the registry as a sex offender. 

  • We went on the record supporting this bill but did not push it. 

  • The bill lost.

• HB 20-1107 — would create a fund to reimburse victims for towing and impound fees when their cars are seized for evidence. 

  • We supported this bill.

  • The legislative session was severely disrupted by the Covid epidemic.

  • This bill and the number of others were postponed indefinitely.

• HB 20-1152 — would require prison time for the felony offenses of possession of a weapon by a previous offender or unlawfully carrying a weapon on school grounds. 

  • We supported this bill but did not have the resources to mobilize support.

  • The bill lost.

• HB 20-1228 — would require that victims must be notified before medical evidence of rape is destroyed.  

  • We supported this bill.

  • The legislative session was severely disrupted by the Covid epidemic.

  • This bill and the number of others were postponed indefinitely.

• HB 20-1278 — would spell out procedures for handling firearms that are removed from a domestic abuser. 

  • We supported this bill.

  • The legislative session was severely disrupted by the Covid epidemic.

  • This bill and the number of others were postponed indefinitely.

• HB 20-1296 — would eliminate the civil statute of limitations for sexual misconduct going forward. 

  • This bill was supported by a coalition of organizations including ours. 

  • The legislative session was severely disrupted by the Covid epidemic.

  • This bill and a number of others were postponed indefinitely.

2021

• SB21-062 — would have required police to issue a summons instead of arresting offenders for low-level criminal offenses.

  • Misleading title: “Jail Population Management Tools.”

  • We opposed the bill vigorously, as did most law enforcement agencies.

  • The sponsors reluctantly withdrew the bill.

• SB 21-071 — required juvenile offenders to be released on personal recognizance bonds instead of bail bonds.

  • We opposed the bill vigorously, as did district attorneys and most law enforcement agencies.

  • The bill passed.

• SB21-073 — Removed the statute of limitations for sexual assault civil claims.

  • Proposed by SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)

  • Supported by us and other victim rights organizations.

  • Opposition from the Catholic Church

  • Passed overwhelmingly

• SB21-088 — Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act. Allows underage victims of sexual assault to pursue claims against organizations that protected their attackers.

  • Proposed by SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)

  • Supported by us and other victim rights organizations.

  • Opposition from the Catholic Church

  • Passed overwhelmingly

• SB 21-124 — tightened the definition of felony murder and downgraded it from a class one felony to a class two felony.

  • We opposed the bill, and it lost.

• SB 21-138 — established a pilot program to screen incoming prisoners for brain injuries. 

  • We suggested to the sponsors that the bill be expanded to include victims. They were not willing to expand it.

  • We supported the bill anyway and it passed.

• SB 21-146 — omnibus bill. One provision allows offenders to be paroled without a parole plan. The bill also loosened the requirements for special-needs parole.

  • We opposed the bill.

  • The bill passed

• SB 21-273 — revision of SP 21-062, which was withdrawn. would have required police to issue a summons instead of arresting offenders for low-level criminal offenses. Would have eliminated the requirement for bail for many offenses.

  • We opposed the bill, and it lost on a bipartisan vote.

• HB21-1143 — required that victims be notified before medical evidence of rape is destroyed.  

  • We supported this bill.

  • The bill passed.

• HB21-1165 — made it easier for a victim of strangulation to qualify for victim compensation.

  • We supported this bill.

  • The bill passed.

• HB 21-1209 — made 21-year-old offenders eligible for parole under the rules applying to 18-year-old offenders.

  • The previous year’s bill, SB 20-076, would have allowed 25-year-old offenders to be treated as juveniles and be eligible for early parole. We were able to kill that bill, so the sponsors came back with this scaled-back version.

  • We still opposed the bill.

  • The bill passed.

2022

• SB 22-024 — makes it easier to charge someone with intimidating a witness.

  • We supported this bill.

  • The bill passed

• SB 22-043 — created a list of allowable expenses for victim restitution. Required that government windfall payments to prisoners be diverted to the victims compensation fund, victims and law-enforcement agencies, and victim restitution. Established an office of restitution services.

  • We conceived this bill and campaigned for two years to get it passed.

  • In the last two weeks of the session, the minority party slowed everything down and stalled a number of bills.

  • This bill survived the delaying tactics because of broad bipartisan support.

• SB 22-049 — Victim Rights Act revisions. Multiple provisions:

  • Victims can now testify remotely at all types of hearings.

  • Victims can get a free copy of the offender’s initial incident report.

  • Victims have a right to be heard at any court proceeding.

  • Victims will be notified what offenders request to decrease the amount of bail.

  • Victims have a right to consult with the prosecution about what charges are filed and about the case disposition.

  • Victim contact information will be kept confidential.

  • Greatly limits the ability of defense attorneys to subpoena records from victims.

  • District attorneys will explain to victims the factors that allow offenders to be released early.

  • Community corrections programs will notify victims when offenders request early release.

  • NOTE: our representatives on the commission that wrote this bill suggested about half of these provisions.

    • We pushed the bill, and it passed with overwhelming support.

• SB 22-0057 — established a task force to design a brain injury screening pilot program for violent crime victims.

  • We suggested the basic text for the bill.

  • We supported the bill and it passed with overwhelming support.

  • We will need a bill in the following year to adopt a plan for the pilot.

• HB 22-1169 — prohibited sexual acts without consent.

  • We supported this bill.

  • The bill passed.